With her weak eyes and
useless lungs that often leave her gasping for air, Nere feels more at
home swimming with the dolphins her mother studies than she does hanging
out with her classmates. Nere has never understood why she is so much
more comfortable and confident in the water than on land until the day
she learns the shocking truth—she is one of a group of kids who have
been genetically altered to survive in the ocean. These products of the
"Neptune Project" are supposed to build a better future under the waves,
safe from the terrible famines and wars and that rock the surface
world.

But there are some big challenges ahead of her: no one
ever asked Nere if she wanted to be part of a science experiment; the
other Neptune kids aren't exactly the friendliest bunch, and in order to
reach the safe haven of the new Neptune colony, Nere and her fellow
mutates must swim across hundreds of miles of dangerous ocean, relying
on their wits, their loyal dolphins and one another to evade terrifying
undersea creatures and a government that will stop at nothing to capture
the Neptune kids ... dead or alive.

Fierce battle and daring escapes abound as Nere and her friend race to safety in this action-packed marine adventure.

The Neptune Project caught me by surprise. I'd known that it was about a group of kids who were genetically-engineered to survive living underwater, but I had no idea that it was post-apocalyptic/dystopian. That actually made the story so much more interesting, knowing just how desperate the parents of these kids were: enough to risk subjecting them to gene-splicing before they were even born. And the reason for the demise of their world? Something that's already happening to ours.It was hard to connect with Nere, especially at first, because she sounded so mechanical. But nonetheless, I admired her. She got scared just like the other Neptune Project (I'll shorten that to 'NP' from here onwards) kids, yes, but she always put their safety before her own, even when they were mean to her.There was action very early on in the book, but the introduction to Nere's life and world confused me. It got even more mind-boggling when the other NP kids who were to become Nere's traveling companions towards the safe haven that her father had built for them were acquainted to the story; I couldn't remember who was who most of the time. And don't even start with the pod of adorable dolphins that, unfortunately, also had names.The Neptune Project taught me quite a lot about the ocean and the creatures in it. I'm actually scared of the big blue basin, but this book just made me fascinated with it. It also reminded me of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne because reading The Neptune Project also felt like going on an undersea tour. But unlike the classic, this book never got boring.Incredibly fast-paced and action-packed, The Neptune Project was a great adventure read. The high stakes were made known as soon as the NP kids set off on their journey, and reminders of the danger posed by both humans and sea creatures were constantly given. Although the ending was satisfying enough, it still left a lot of questions that I demand to be answered in a sequel!MY FAVORITE PART was this:

Dai, I know you mean well, but why would I want to eat something that looks like a giant orange caterpillar, eats sludge all day, and can vomit up its own intestines?

Sure cracked me up :))

RATING:

About the author:

Polly Holyoke has been imagining stories since she was in fifth grade. When she isn’t writing, Polly loves reading, camping, skiing, scuba diving and hiking in the desert (where she quite stupidly got herself bitten by a rattlesnake). She lives with three rescue dogs, two spoiled cats and a nice husband who is tolerant about the piles of books all over their house. Her debut middle-grade novel, THE NEPTUNE PROJECT, is the story of a young girl leading a group of genetically altered teens fighting to survive in the sea. She is thrilled that this novel will be published by Disney/Hyperion and Puffin Books UK summer, 2013. She thinks the best part about being an author is going to work in her sweatpants and getting paid for daydreaming!

When twenty-one-year-old
Leah Carter's latest one night stand burglarizes her apartment, her
roommate forces her to attend therapy for sex addicts. Leah insists she
isn't a sex addict; she just doesn't do relationships. After all, sooner
or later, everyone lets you down.

At first, the group sessions
are little more than an education on how to be promiscuous. Until she
meets the newest addict—blue eyes, killer body, and a smile that tempts
relapse.

Psychology student Will McLean is posing as a fellow
addict while researching a case study on unusual addictions. But the
more he learns about Leah, the more certain he is that his desire to
break through her walls and unearth her secrets has nothing to do with
his assignment.

As the uncertainties spike alongside the sexual
tension, the only thing Leah knows for sure is that falling in love
would be disastrous. Too bad love might be one addiction she can't kick.

I don't know what I expected from Addicted to You, but it certainly wasn't what I got. From their first chapters, I enjoyed Leah's and Will's voices, although I probably would have appreciated it more had the book been written in first person POV.

From the get-go, we are introduced to Leah's tough and closed-off exterior, but I knew that beneath the permanent scowl was a girl who felt a lot, it scared her. And she's a budding writer! Now, she might claim to despise poetry, but I read enough to know that she's good at writing it. Anyway, I didn't like how Leah was so reluctant to own her feelings and pushed them away instead. She was so disbelieving of the whole concept of love—well, except for her brother and best friend—even though she knew it was what she felt for Will. But both of those she did understandably so when one spared a glance at her parents.

Admittedly, a major case of insta-lust went on in here, and some might even argue that lust was all there was between Leah and Will—backed up by the fact that they couldn't keep their hands and mouths to themselves when they were together—but I saw beyond every glance and every smile. And really, who can blame Leah for wanting to hump Will at first sight? He was a gorgeous-as-hell Scottish with piercing blue eyes, but he was no bad boy! He was actually very sweet, considerate, and thoughtful, and he knew how to stop and rein himself back when a girl said no. Still, this boy sure knew how to flip his sexy and naughty switch.

Although the book was mainly about Leah and Will, that didn't make the secondary characters uninteresting; in fact, their variety added flavor to the story and made the two MCs lives much more fleshed-out and real. Even the other sex addicts in Leah's sessions provided a lot of laughs, thanks to their ridiculously outrageous sex lives.

I loved how the simplest thing prevented the story from dragging infuriatingly like other similar books: communication. Leah and Will used that basic tool like the adults that they were, simplifying everything that stood between them, and went after what and who they wanted instead of sulking in a corner.

Funny, touching, and utterly realistic, Addicted to You had everything I love in a book. It portrayed "new adults" in a real light, with their frustrations, insecurities, and reluctance. And although the ending left quite a handful of opened doors, I don't mind it one bit because it just made the story live on longer in my head.

MY FAVORITE PART was the moment Will first entered the group session. "I Knew You Were Trouble" much? XD

RATING:

About the author:

Colina Brennan is a new adult writer with a love for the fantastical and the romantic. When she isn’t writing, she’s attached at the hip to her kids or chasing her dog or daydreaming about what she wants to write next.

Jun 24, 2013

When
we moved to West Virginia right before my senior year, I'd pretty much
resigned myself to thick accents, dodgy internet access, and a whole lot
of boring... until I spotted my hot neighbor, with his looming height
and eerie green eyes. Things were looking up.

And then he opened his mouth.

Daemon
is infuriating. Arrogant. Stab-worthy. We do not get along. At all. But
when a stranger attacks me and Daemon literally freezes time with a
wave of his hand, well, something... unexpected happens.

The hot alien living next door marks me.

You
heard me. Alien. Turns out Daemon and his sister have a galaxy of
enemies wanting to steal their abilities, and Daemon's touch has me lit
up like the Vegas Strip. The only way I'm getting out of this alive is
by sticking close to Daemon until my alien mojo fades.

If I don't kill him first, that is.

I first read Obsidian more than a year ago, and even then I'd already loved it to bits. Everything about it—from the plot to the setting and especially the characters—was very addictive, and I was hooked from start to end.Katy was kind and calm but feisty when provoked, and I could relate to her not only because she felt like such a real teenager, but also because she's a book blogger! Yep, she's not just the stereotypical bookworm goody-two-shoes. She spazzes about books the way I do—the way we do, blogger friends! Anyway, her halo got thrown to the corner every time Daemon, her hot alien neighbor, was within interacting distance, and it was amusing to see Katy be both repulsed and attracted to him. Daemon was, unarguably, a douchebag, but his backstory was reason enough for that. And really, their hilarious and sexual-tension-filled bantering just entertained me. The other characters also added so much to this story. There was Dee, Daemon's sister, who was kinda desperate to have a human friend. She was so perky, and I'm pretty sure we wouldn't get along too well if she were real. And then there were the other alien triplets: Ash, Andrew, and Adam. The first two had attitudes that were worse than Daemon's, but Katy was tough enough to handle them. And finally, Katy's mom and human friends, Lesa and Carissa, who were worthy distractions for when the aliens next door became too much for her sanity.This take on aliens was very fresh and unique, and it worked well with the story because I don't even want to imagine Katy falling for an innards-eating monster! But I'll shut up now and let you discover for yourself the type of alien that JLA has written—types, actually, because their enemies were a different species.An incredibly fast-paced book that was equal parts sci-fi and contemporary, Obsidian never bored me, not even for a second, and has made this one of my favorite book series ever! MY FAVORITE PART was Daemon's sleepy fondling =))

The last thing Dawson
Black expected was Bethany Williams. As a Luxen, an alien life form on
Earth, human girls are... well, fun. But since the Luxen have to keep their
true identities a secret, falling for one would be insane. Dangerous.
Tempting. Undeniable.

Bethany can’t deny the immediate connection
between her and Dawson. And even though boys aren’t a complication she
wants, she can’t stay away from him. Still, whenever they lock eyes,
she’s drawn in. Captivated. Lured. Loved.

Dawson is keeping a
secret that will change her existence... and put her life in jeopardy. But
even he can’t stop risking everything for one human girl. Or from a fate
that is as unavoidable as love itself.

Because I read this prequel novellaafter Obsidian, I knew how it would go. I knew that Dawson Black fell for a human, and that love became the end of him. Still, watching firsthand just how instantly and utterly smitten Bethany and Dawson were with each other—well, that just made the whole thing more depressing.But enough of the sad. There were also a lot of fun times here, particularly when the Black triplets were together: something we didn't get in Obsidian. Dawson was the toned-down, boy version of Dee, but also the carbon copy of Daemon... Yep. And the last chapter was the ultimate explanation of Daemon's douchy-ness in Obsidian, so I think people who hated him in that book will like him, even a little, because of this. MY FAVORITE PART was Dawson's first visit to Bethany's home XD

Thanks
to his alien mojo, Daemon’s determined to prove what he feels for me is
more than a product of our bizarro connection. So I’ve sworn him off,
even though he’s running more hot than cold these days. But we’ve got
bigger problems.

Something worse than the Arum has come to town...

The
Department of Defense are here. If they ever find out what Daemon can
do and that we're linked, I’m a goner. So is he. And there's this new
boy in school who’s got a secret of his own. He knows what’s happened to
me and he can help, but to do so, I have to lie to Daemon and stay away
from him. Like that's possible. Against all common sense, I'm falling
for Daemon. Hard.

But then everything changes...

I’ve seen
someone who shouldn’t be alive. And I have to tell Daemon, even though I
know he’s never going to stop searching until he gets the truth. What
happened to his brother? Who betrayed him? And what does the DOD want
from them—from me?

No one is who they seem. And not everyone will survive the lies...

Onyx picks up a few days after the events in Obsidian. Immediately, I was pulled back in by Katy, Daemon, and their incredible out-of-this-world chemistry. Hell, I was swooning in less than ten pages! But that said, Onyx wasn't as swoon-y as I'd thought it would be; instead, it stocked up with the action that some people might have wanted the first book to have had.There was a lot going on in this sequel, what with Katy, um, "changing"; a new guy moving in on her, much to Daemon's rage; and the DOD becoming more of a problem for them. And there was also Katy trying to stay away from Daemon, trying to push down her feelings for him because she thought he only wanted her because of their alien mojo connection.While Daemon still had his douche-y side here in Onyx, we also got to see a little bit more of his sweet side that he often kept hidden. Unfortunately, there was also more of his controlling side—granted that he was doing it to protect Katy, it still wasn't fair that he'd keep his distance, though not for long, just because she wouldn't do what he wanted her to.

"He just doesn't want to see me hurt." And that actually hurt to say, because I knew there was a mile-long road of good intentions behind what he had been saying last night, but he needed to see me as an equal. Not someone who was weak and needed rescuing.

Katy, on the other hand, became more of a badass in here (can't say more without being spoiler-y, I'm afraid), but she made a lot of facepalm-worthy decisions and actions, and sometimes she just irritated me.The crazy chain of events led to a shocking, heartbreaking, and totally risky ending. It made clear just how heightened the stakes were, and I get nervous when I think about just how much worse it could get for these characters in Opal.MY FAVORITE PART was Daemon joining Katy when she filmed a Stacking the Shelves video. Sweet baby Jesus, why don't I have a Luxen to do that with?!

When
he set out to prove his feelings for me, he wasn’t fooling around.
Doubting him isn’t something I’ll do again, and now that we’ve made it
through the rough patches, well... There’s a lot of spontaneous
combustion going on.

But even he can’t protect his family from the danger of trying to free those they love.

After
everything, I’m no longer the same Katy. I’m different... And I’m not
sure what that will mean in the end. When each step we take in
discovering the truth puts us in the path of the secret organization
responsible for torturing and testing hybrids, the more I realize there
is no end to what I’m capable of. The death of someone close still
lingers, help comes from the most unlikely source, and friends will
become the deadliest of enemies, but we won’t turn back. Even if the
outcome will shatter our worlds forever.

Together we’re stronger... and they know it.

Opal was one hell of a third book. It had immediate tension, making my brows furrow in frustration within a few pages. I was also sucked right back into JLA's crazy world of aliens. The ominous feeling was a constant in this book, and I worried for my beloved Luxens and hybrids the whole time.One thing I noticed was how there really hadn't been character development as much as character exposure. They haven't changed a lot from Obsidian until now; we merely see more sides to them that, probably, even they themselves didn't know about. Believe me when I say no one is to be fully-trusted in this series.Daemon was sweeter than ever, but he still had his controlling and possessive streak, wanting Katy to stay at home to keep her safe (like what I mentioned in my Onyx review above). Thankfully, Katy never backed down.

I know you're upset because you worry about me, but I'm not going to be the girl who sits at home and waits for the hero to wipe out the villains.

She worked hard and toughened up so Daemon would see her as his equal, and I appreciated that plus her getting him to respect her decisions because I believe those are essential in a healthy relationship.Here in Opal, we get two new somethings. There was Katy and Daemon's full-blown romance (finally!) which felt like the only respite from their universe of problems. Their sweetness make me sigh and giggle like a schoolgirl. And then there was Dawson. I loved seeing more of his dynamic with everyone: something we only got a taste of in Shadows.You know a book's good when you keep putting off reading it just because you don't want it to end, even though I really wanted to finish the characters' misery by turning that last page. Shit kept hitting fan, and the hard times brought out the worst in everyone. And that ending? Sure brought out the worst in me.MY FAVORITE PART was their prom. And after it, hee ♥

Meeting Jett was like bad luck. Dangerous. Unpredictable. And better avoided. In his game, the stakes are high. But are they worth the risk?

Brooke Stewart, a realtor in New York, finds forgetting is hard, but forgiving is harder. When the man she trusted, betrayed her, the only way to forget is to move on. Brooke is determined to start a new life, until she meets him again: the green-eyed, sexy as sin, six foot two sex god. The man who played dirty. The man who played her.

Sexy, handsome, and arrogant Jett Mayfield knows he has made mistakes. He could have any other woman, and yet it’s Brooke he wants. When second chances collide with secrets and Brooke is threatened by the past, Jett is determined to protect her. She accepts his help unwillingly because she needs him but she wants to play his game on her own terms. And she has no intention to forgive or let him back into her bed.

When the man she is supposed to hate is the one she should trust, will he conquer her... or lose her forever?

A woman who can’t forgive.A man who has made mistakes.Two lives that are about to cross again and more secrets laid bare.

Jun 21, 2013

Life or Death? Not many people would choose death. But what if death chooses you? What if death doesn’t mean the end of your life, but the beginning?

For a Death Escort, death is life. Death is your paycheck. Death is your job.

And Charming is the best Escort the Grim Reaper has ever had.

But when you piss off the Reaper, being the best doesn’t matter. So Charming is assigned a Target who is practically impossible to kill. He knows the Reaper hopes he fails—that he’s counting on it. So Charming vows to prove him wrong. He vows to make the kill.

But someone else vows to get in his way. Someone with a big mouth, a sugar habit, and blond hair. Someone who makes his heart start beating again.

And so Charming is left holding more than one person’s fate in the palm of his hand. He thought the choice would be easy, that there really wasn’t a question at all.

He was wrong.

Life or Death?

About the author:

Cambria Hebert is the author of the young adult paranormal Heven and Hell series and the Death Escorts series. She loves a caramel latte, hates math and is afraid of chickens (yes, chickens). She went to college for a bachelor’s degree, couldn’t pick a major and ended up with a degree in cosmetology. So rest assured her characters will always have good hair. She currently lives in North Carolina with her husband and children (both human and furry) where she is plotting her next book. You can find out more about Cambria and her work by visiting http://www.cambriahebert.com.

Dylan finally feels
like he has it all. He's back home in the human realm with his beautiful
girlfriend, loving grandparents, and some crazy powers over the
elements. But Dylan's temper is climbing out of control, and along with
the bursts of rage come new powers he wasn't expecting.

Kera has
these new powers, too. She's seen them before and knows what they can do
if kept unchecked... and it’s not pretty. Plus, going back to her home
realm, Teag, would hasten the process. Kera is determined to keep her
one true love, Dylan, safe on Earth, but when the barrier between the
human realm and Teag weakens, allowing monster-like creatures to pass
over, Kera becomes desperate to protect her home.

When Kera is
kidnapped and imprisoned in a corner of her world that no one has ever
escaped from alive, can Dylan overcome his unbridled powers—and
himself—to save her?

The Fallen Prince opens a few days after the events in The Marked Son, as Dylan struggles more than ever to fit in the human world with his new, uncontrollable powers that endanger everyone around him. He and Kera also have their hands full, thanks to the weakened barrier between the human world and Teag, leaving deadly creatures free to cross.Let me tell you now: this sequel has outdone its predecessor—and to think that one was already really good. There was action right off the bat, something that other readers might have looked for in The Marked Son, and the stakes were higher than ever. When Dylan's power threatened to reveal his true identity to the humans in town, even his loved ones were on edge, wanting to keep him safe while fearing for their own lives.Something I didn't like was how Dylan constantly pitied himself and whined internally—yes, internally, but we still suffer it because the book was written in first-person. I also hated how Kera didn't trust him enough and kept secrets from him, thinking ignorance would keep him safe.Like in the first book, Shea Berkley's writing was as beautiful and descriptive as ever. I didn't have problems seeing every ripple of wind, slope of the land, or the fire that engulfed Dylan. And I hope that will continue on until The Bastard King, which, thankfully, will come without too much of a wait!MY FAVORITE PART was Dylan's first training with Wyatt :))

RATING:

About the author:

I'm an author of YA fantasy novels, which means I'm the luckiest person alive 'cause I get to spend my day playing with my characters. Some are totally cool, others aren't so nice, but they all bring something to the party.

Seventeen-year-old
Dylan Kennedy always knew something was different about him, but until
his mother abandoned him in the middle of Oregon with grandparents he’s
never met, he had no idea what.

When Dylan sees a girl in white
in the woods behind his grandparents’ farm, he knows he’s seen her
before... in his dreams. He’s felt her fear. Heard her insistence that
only he can save her world from an evil lord who uses magic and fear to
feed his greed for power.

Unable to shake the unearthly pull to
Kera, Dylan takes her hand. Either he’s completely insane or he’s about
to have the adventure of his life, because where they’re going is full
of creatures he’s only read about in horror stories. Worse, the human
blood in his veins has Dylan marked for death...

A cruise ship. A beautiful island. Two sexy guys. What could possibly go wrong?

In the Bermuda Triangle—a lot.

Hoping to leave behind the reminders of her crappy life--her father's death years ago, her mother's medical problems, and the loser who’s practically stalking her--seventeen-year-old Autumn Taylor hops on a ship with her sister for a little distraction. When she wakes up in the Bermuda Triangle, she fears she's gone nuts for more than one reason: that loser’s suddenly claiming they're a happy couple... a hot guy is wrapping his arms around her and saying "Happy Anniversary"... and suddenly, she’s full of bruises, losing her hair, and getting IV medication. Autumn visits the ship's doctor, hoping for a pill or a shot to make the craziness go away. Instead, she's warned that these "alternate realities" could become permanent.

She just has to ask herself one question—how the hell is she going to get out of this mess?

Kimberly Miller received Bachelor's degrees from Georgian Court University and Rutgers University and a Master's degree from The University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys true crime and young adult novels. She grew up in New Jersey and currently resides in Monmouth County with her husband and three cats. When she’s not writing, she loves to travel to sunny islands where she snorkels by day and stargazes by night. She always takes her Nook with her.

Summer, 1941. For Peter,
the war is a long way away, being fought by a faceless enemy. Until the
night a German plane is shot down over woods that his missing dad
looked after before he went off to fight.

Peter rushes to the
crash site to see if there’s something he can keep, but what he finds
instead is an injured young German airman. The enemy. Here.

And helping him seems like the right thing to do...

I opened My Friend the Enemy with much eagerness because I don't get to read historical fiction as much as I want to; I don't know why, it's not like I avoid them on purpose. And I also don't know a whole lot about World War II because the lessons at our school only focused on the Philippines' involvement in it. The only personal connection with it that I can think of is that my dad was born in 1939, the year it started, and my mom was born in 1945, the year it ended.You know something's wrong with the world when twelve-year-olds have to decide between doing what's right by their country or their morals, but it was both saddening and inspiring to see kids being more open-minded and sympathetic than adults. I also had fun watching Peter and Kim's friendship grow in the most uncommon circumstance of hiding a German soldier, all the while knowing that that would only forge a bond stronger and deeper than friendships normally are.My Friend the Enemy is one of those stories that blurs the line between right or wrong, enemy or friend—and I loved it. I loved how it made me question and look at both the good and bad sides of every decision made by Peter and Kim, and how I worried not only that the British soldiers might find the German hiding right under their noses, but also for everyone's safety because of the constant threat of Nazi attacks.

This book wouldn't have been as good and effective as it was if not for the writing that was so descriptive, it was like I'd been the one running for the Anderson shelter when the sirens sounded, or the one sneaking off to the woods to tend to a wounded friend. And just like how a lot of moments in this book hit me straight in the gut, the ending is one that made My Friend the Enemy very memorable and will never fail to bring a smile to my face.

Olive Bell has spent her
entire life in the beautiful suburb of Vista Valley, with a
picture-perfect home, a loving family, and a seemingly perfect
boyfriend. But after a near-fatal car accident, she’s haunted by a
broken heart and a melody that she cannot place.

Then Olive meets
Nick. He’s dark, handsome, mysterious... and Olive feels connected
to him in a way she can’t explain. Is there such a thing as fate? The
two embark on a whirlwind romance—until Nick makes a troubling
confession.

Heartbroken, Olive pieces together what really
happened the night of her accident and arrives at a startling
revelation. Only by facing the truth can she uncover the mystery behind
the song and the power of what it means to love someone.

Our Song was a very nice surprise, what with three mysteries that kept me turning the pages. First, what really happened the night of Olive's accident—the night that she tried so hard to forget, I'm surprised she didn't end up having selective amnesia. Second, the song that kept playing in her head which came to her with complete lyrics and melody. And lastly, there was Nick himself—the British boy who shot golf balls from the roof of his car, holding the club like a baseball bat, and said things like 'We're defined by the risks that we take.'Although I couldn't quite connect with her at first, I really cared about Olive and rooted for her. Her every up and down tugged on my heartstrings. Admittedly, I wanted to shake her until she realized that she should move on to better things, especially from her ex-boyfriend who was so obviously better off left in her past. But suddenly, with the cliche haircut ceremony, Olive changed into someone who dressed differently and walked like she could face anything. To some, she might come across as giving up and not giving a damn anymore, but I knew that she was just finally owning what she'd always had.I liked how Olive was intrigued and, undoubtedly, attracted to Nick at first sight, but she refused to give much more meaning into it that early on, knowing just how naive that would be. Also, their slow-developing romance wasn't the swoon-y type, but something that inspired hope for both of them: two people who spent time with one another as they tried to escape their pasts that brought them to their life-changing encounters with death.

Before, I would have been embarrassed or felt like a fraud. But when I was with Nick, I felt like could be or do anything.

Lyrical and poignant, Our Song is the perfect read for a rainy day; there was something hopeful in Olive's voice that can reassure the reader that by the time the last page has been turned, he would find the sun to be peeking through the clouds, and if not, that life would still go on even with the rain.MY FAVORITE PART was when Olive finally realized that she had to let go of the life that she'd been clinging to.

RATING:

About the author:

Jordanna Fraiberg was born in Montreal, Quebec, and currently lives in L.A., where she settled after receiving degrees from Harvard and Oxford. A former national squash champion and Hollywood film executive, she now divides her time between dreaming up stories and chasing her toddler. She is the author of Our Song and In Your Room.